They need two different teams for home and away. Less of an issue for the Australians and Saffers, as so many play over here during their winter and so should be pretty experienced of English conditions. When was the last time an Englishman played in the Sheffield Shield like Botham did? Also all three tests have gone to a fifth day, and so England are actually putting up a better fight than people thought they would.
They're already comparing it with Warne's 'Ball of the Century' that did Gatting calling it the 'Ball of this Century', helped by the crack in the pitch but Starc had just changed to round the wicket to get a better line at Vince so he earned it...
Cook has scored 83 runs in 6 innings so far. In 1976 Viv Richards scored 829 runs against England in 4 tests (7 innings, he was injured for the second test). So I’m expecting at least 746 next time Cook goes to the crease.
They're not batting at all as rainwater has got though the covers and there are damp patches on the wicket right on the length and the crack that did for Vince yesterday. Groundstaff out with driers trying to get the pitch ready but England have the perfect excuse for a major collapse now if and when play starts...
An innings and 40 runs, just about as comprehensive a drubbing as you can get after being 368-4. 2nd best in every department and a 5-0 whitewash will be hard to avoid. If the selectors had the ball's they'd bring in a few of the Lions squad and leave out Cook, Ali, Broad and Anderson and give some younger players a taste of the action, they couldn't do worse...
I blame the way they covered the pitches last night the aussies knew what they were doing to get an advantage
4th Test and more of the same, Aussies 110-0 after Lunch and just piling on the humiliation against a side devoid of confidence or the necessary qualities to make a game of it...
244-3, England bowlers put the brakes on the Aussie scoring but Smith and Marsh set fair to put the game out of our reach...
Soop I think by this time tomorrow we will be over the hill and far far away and you'll be looking at catch up and avoiding the follow on - Merry Christmas
Watched the first hour and a half and during that time only 1 ball beat the bat and 1 edged but dropped short. Surprised England managed to take 3 wickets and Aussies only scored 244 as expected 330 for 1 at close, Bancroft looks a walking wicket. England bowling looks too much of a muchness one paced and lacking variation also bowled too short...... Expect Aussies to rack up 550 plus by the time we wake up tomorrow and England to be 3 down for not many...
Also have to mention spotted 2 peeps wearing R's shirts in the crowd, one last seasons home shirt and the other the Nike shirt with the thick hoops sitting near the boundary to the left of the sight screen when Broad was bowling his first spell in the morning..........Melbourne Ian was one of them you by any chance?
